NAACP Invites Adventist Participation
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THE NeM4H AMERICAN INFoRMANT A BIMONTHLY REPORT OF THE NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL DEPARTMENT VOLUME XXV WASHINGTON, D.C., SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER, 1971 NUMBER 5 NAACP Invites Adventist Participation ROBERT H. PIERSON, president of the Justice William H. Hastie, U.S. Court visited our exhibits at the convention. General Conference, received an offi- of Appeals, 3d Circuit, Philadelphia, A significant remark of Mrs. Ger- cial invitation from Roy Wilkins, ex- Pennsylvania; Leon Sullivan, Baptist aldine Johnson, director of National ecutive secretary of the National Asso- minister and founder-director of Op- Convention Exhibits, is worthy of our ciation for the Advancement of Colored portunities Industrialization Centers contemplation: "My children attend People, to have the Seventh-day Ad- and a member of the Board of General your church school in Pasadena, Cali- ventist Church exhibit their diversified Motors; Mal Goode, United Nations fornia. We are Episcopalians, but we humanitarian services at the 62d correspondent of ABC television net- appreciate your church. People in NAACP Convention in Minneapolis, work; Roy Wilkins, executive secretary general are not acquainted with your Minnesota, July 4-9, at the municipal of NAACP; Bishop Stephen Gill Spotts- work. That is why I am thrilled to auditorium. wood, chairman of NAACP Board of have your church exhibit the other side The invitation was accepted and the Directors; Wilson Riles, superintendent of its ministry, its social outreach, at responsibility of preparing the exhibit of public instruction and director of this convention. was assigned to W. W. Fordham. With education for the State of California; Roy Wilkins remarked: "As execu- the expert assistance of Louis B. Reyn- Clarence Mitchel, chief lobbyist for tive secretary of the NAACP, I am olds and contributions from others, an NAACP, Washington, D.C. Among delighted that you accepted our invi- attractive exhibit was prepared fea- other V.I.P.'s in attendance were tation. Your exhibits have contributed turing the outreach of the church in Charles Stenvig, mayor of Minneapolis; much to the session and we hope Sev- educational, medical, welfare, and tem- W. R. Anderson, governor of Minne- enth-day Adventists will continue to be perance programs. Harry Anderson's sota; Hubert Humphrey, senator from numbered among our exhibitors in the striking portrait of Christ with hands Minnesota; Maurice H. Stans, Secre- years to come." outstretched over the city, provided tary of Commerce, U.S. Government; As I reflect on the experience that an attractive background. Adjacent to Leonard Woodcock, president of was Brother Pinkney's and mine to this was displayed the Disaster Relief UAW-AFL-CIO. enjoy, to witness among people who and Emergency Van of the local Glen- Time and space will not permit the have very little knowledge of our work, dale church. addition of the names of scores of gov- I thought of the words of Mordecai The work of Seventh-day Adventists ernment officials, Black and white, and to Esther: "And who knoweth whether was further highlighted by the im- literally scores of Black men in key thou art come to the kingdom for such pressive exhibit from the Temperance positions in industry whom we person- a time as this?" There are millions of Department under the supervision of ally met as a result of our presence at Black middle class Americans to whom A. V. Pinkney. Among the scores of this convention. we are indebted. How can we reach displays featuring the giants of Amer- Hundreds of copies of The Message them with the third angel's message? ican business, including agencies of Magazine, Soul Food tracts, temper- I am convinced, after attending this the Federal Government, Seventh-day ance leaflets, including a fact sheet on convention, that we need to strengthen Adventists and Catholics were the only SDA's, were distributed. Contact was our program in the inner cities. Black religious organizations represented. made with a surprising number of middle class America will show an in- Thus the Christian social outreach of former members of the church who terest in our message more readily the church by contrast with the ab- when they see, as Mrs. Johnson ex- sence of most other religious groups pressed it, "the other side of our church placed the ministry of our church for in action." man's temporal as well as spiritual Perhaps we will never know in this needs in the spotlight at this great world the identity of those who will convention attended by more than be among the saved because the church 2,500 Black Americans from across the was visible at the NAACP convention. nation, many of whom are top leaders We must pay tribute to Elder and in all walks of life. Mrs. James Parker and the members It will be of interest to read the list of the Glendale church of Minneap- f V.I.P.'s in attendance who visited olis who assisted in supervision of our oour booths: Andrew F. Brimmer, econ- booths. Their service added immeas- omist, member of Board of Governors urably to the success of the exhibit. of the Federal Reserve System; Chief NAACP Exhibit W. W. FORDHAM 2 THE NORTH AMERICAN INFORMANT Dr. Patricia Patterson Follows and a member of the usher board. a Great Tradition Also finishing a college course this year is Patricia's sister, Sydnee, who THE weather was diamond-bright on completed a degree from D.C. Teach- Howard University Commons for the er's College. Her brother, Anthony, is university's one hundred and third a 1971 graduate of Takoma Academy. commencement exercises on June 5, Patricia has already begun her in- 1971. The morning sun, like the splen- ternship at Freedmen's Hospital in the dors of a thousand sea shells, was flash- pediatrics section. She follows the tra- ing through the trees. In the class dition of Dr. Lottie C. Blake, Dr. Flor- News Flashes list from the school of medicine was ence Moore, Dr. Dorothy Branch, Dr. the name of Patricia Patterson, a mem- Ruth J. Temple, and Dr. Grace Kim- i James E. Dykes, Sr., is editor of the ber of Washington's First church, who brough, all women physicians who have Allegheny East INTERCOM, a con- received the degree of Doctor of Medi- served the Adventist cause through the ference-wide news report. From its cine. years with their talents and with their first issue we have gleaned some inter- Although there is an unprecedented means. esting facts: Conference President need for young women in the field of RUBY L. JONES E. Dorsey writes, "There are many medicine, not many are today pursuing evidences that God is In control of the courses in this field. It is all the more hearts and lives in Allegheny East. At an event of rejoicing for her family the close of 1969 our total membership and for her church friends that Patri- was 8,430. It is now 9,289—an increase cia hopes to enter mission service and of 859 and we are still growing. At our devote her talents to the finishing of present rate, we shall, within two years, the gospel. be as large as the Allegheny Confer- While a student at Elliott Junior ence was before its division. This in- High School, Patricia was president of crease bespeaks the evangelistic fervor the graduating class and president of in our churches. People of all ages are the National Honor Society. In 1960 really getting involved in this 'nicest she graduated from Eastern High work on earth.' Love for souls seems Pastor and Mrs. Scales, Jr., on right; Bro. and School, and in a class of 450, she fin- Sr. Scales, Sr., on left. to dominate our thinking and conver- ished third, and was again president sations. This is what it should be." of the National Honor Society. Richmond Church Thanks The Newark, New Jersey Trinity One result of her outstanding high Community Temple's pastor, J. E. Collins has been school record was the offer of a four- getting full tuition paid for his young year scholarship to Spellman College FEW churches in the Columbia Un- people who want to attend college. in Atlanta, Georgia, which she declined. ion Conference enjoy such strong com- This is accomplished through the model The Daughters of the American Revo- munity support for their welfare min- cities program. Several young adults lution also presented her with an istry as does the Ephesus congregation have been urged to enroll in college. award at high school commencement. in Richmond, Virginia. He has twelve now attending and ex- And the Science Foundation of Amer- On Sunday, May 23, members of the pects more. ica presented her with six-week schol- church showed their appreciation to Inner-city work, drug abuse, reha- arships to Bennett College in Greens- the community by presenting a special bilitation, tutoring, youth-rap clinic, boro, North Carolina, for two summers. musical program and having tours of a Community Services center, strong Upon receiving a baccalaureate de- the church facility. health and welfare programs, keep gree from Howard University in 1964, Financial crises that faced the con- John Smith, pastor of Berea in Balti- Patricia enrolled in the School of Med- gregation came into being because of more, Maryland, and his congregation ical Technology at Freedmen's Hos- evangelism. When 125 new members very busy. This congregation raises pital. She needed a skill, she said, to joined the church after an evangelistic $5,000 monthly for church expenses help earn tuition money for medical crusade by the pastor, William C. with $4,000 going for school operation. school, and working as a medical tech- Scales, Jr., lack of space in the old Baptisms showed a good year with 130 nologist she could command a higher church became a problem.